The real photosynthetic powerhouse of nature is algae, not trees. In fact, 8 out of every 10 molecules of oxygen you are breathing now were produced by algae a few days ago. These algae were spread out over vast amounts of surface area, mostly the ocean’s top layer, the photic zone. The amount of CO2 the algae can capture is simply a matter of the rate of photosynthesis multiplied by the total surface area the algae covers. It follows that if there’s more surface area for the algae to grow, then there will be more photosynthesis, and thus more carbon is captured.

Knowing this, we put algae into the paint. Using paint allows us to utilize vertical surfaces; paint is lightweight and adheres well. We can go as high as we want, and we can compact the surface area to get even more activity, so that more carbon dioxide is captured and eventually stored in the paint. We call these algae-infused coatings Carbon Capture Coatings (CCC’s). CCC’s are capable of rivaling natural carbon sinks, such as the phytoplankton in the ocean and cryptogamic soils on land. Taking inspiration from lichen, natural paint-like organisms containing photosynthetic algae, this paint contains living genetically-engineered photosynthetic algae that capture and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The CO2 is then converted to cellulose and stored safely in the paint for the lifetime of the coating. Or we can separate the clear, pure nanocellulose from the paint and use it as a valuable byproduct!

CCC’s can be used to capture other greenhouse gases also, like nitrogen, and convert them into other valuable by-products. This technology is not energy-intensive, nor does it require radical CO2 storage processes, like injecting carbon deep into the earth’s layers. Instead, we draw inspiration from nature, mimicking existing natural CO2 removal and storage systems, like lichen, and utilizing our proprietary functional coating techniques to make the end results even better.